As I let him off at 30th Street Station, he waves goodbye and
thanks me, and says he's rating me five stars. The fare pops up
on my phone: $10.85. The price of almost two beers for 15 minutes
of driving! And if my neighbor had taken a cab, with tip, it
would have been an even $20.

But in the long run, Guendelsberger found that the numbers didn't
add up. One reason was Uber's massive
fare cut, which took place just before she started driving.
And since UberX drivers aren't licensed with the company and use
their own cars, expenses such as insurance and gas add up, while
the car's value depreciates.

Over the course of 100 rides, her hourly rate averaged out to
$17. But after subtracting the 28% cut that Uber takes and 19%
for car-related expenses, her actual pay ended up being $9.34 an
hour.

Driving for UberX isn't the worst-paying job I've ever had. I
made less scooping ice cream as a 15-year-old, if you don't
adjust for inflation. If I worked 10 hours a day, six days a week
with one week off, I'd net almost $30,000 a year before taxes.

But if I wanted to net that $90,000 a year figure that so many
passengers asked about, I would only have to work, let's see ...

27 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Though Guendelsberger concludes that Uber's business model isn't
good for drivers, she admits that passengers benefit from the
company's
massive growth.

Not only is the service better than with traditional taxi
companies, but the prices are
generally lower, too.

"Whatever my reservations about Uber as a driver, it really,
really is better for riders," she writes.